SPEAKING
Prepared by.
MOHAMED MASHAAL
IELTS Preparation Course – Speaking Mohamed Mashal
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INTRODUCTION
12 - 14 minutes
Part 1 Examiner introduces him/herself and confirms 4 - 5 minutes
candidate's identity.
Introduction and
Interview Examiner interviews candidate using verbal questions
based on familiar topic frames.
Part 2 Examiner asks candidate to speak for 1-2 minutes on a 3 - 4 minutes
particular topic based on written input in the form of a
Individual (includes
general instruction and content-focused prompts.
long turn Examiner asks one or two questions at the end of the 1 minute
long turn. preparation time)
Part 3 Examiner invites candidate to participate in discussion 4 - 5 minutes
of more abstract nature, based on verbal questions,
Two-way discussion
thematically linked to Part 2 prompt.
Format:
SPEAKING SKILLS:
§ Fluency and Coherence
§ Lexical Resource
§ Grammatical Range and Accuracy
§ Pronunciation
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Assessment Criteria
Fluency & Coherence:
Ø Being able to keep going, to talk at a natural speed without unnatural pauses and
hesitations.
Ø Being able to link ideas and language together clearly.
Lexical Resource
Ø Having sufficient vocabulary to express yourself on both familiar and unfamiliar topics.
Ø Being able to deal with unknown or difficult vocabulary.
Grammatical Range & Accuracy
Ø Being able to use a variety of grammatical structures appropriately.
Ø Making as few grammatical mistakes as possible.
Ø Being understood despite grammatical mistakes.
Pronunciation
Ø Being able to use English pronunciation features like stress and intonation naturally.
Ø Not causing the examiner any problems in understanding what you are saying.
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Part 1: Introduction & Interview (4-5 minutes)
The examiner will introduce himself/herself and confirm your identity. They will then ask you a
number of general questions about yourself to try and make you feel relaxed. You may be
asked about your home or studies. Then you will be asked one or two more sets of questions on
familiar topics such as your interests, your country, your family, food, clothes, holidays etc. The
questions come from an examiner ‘frame’ (pre-determined questions) so the examiner will not
necessarily follow-up with questions based on what you say. You do not have to express an
opinion or justify it in this part.
Common topics for Part 1
Make a list of information about the following topics:
§ your home,
§ your country,
§ your job,
§ your interests,
§ your school,
§ your family,
§ food,
§ festivals,
§ clothes,
§ books,
§ films,
§ transport, etc
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Practice 1
1. Listen to two students answering the following questions and complete the notes in the
table below ( 1.1):
§ Can you tell me what you do?
§ Where do you come from?
§ Can you describe your city/village to me?
Name Occupation Where from Where located Words used to
describe place
Muttrah, Oman Large, …
Hanan
Near Chonju, …
Kwan
2. Answer the questions in Exercise 1 about yourself.
3. Look at the following questions a – b and the phrases below (1 – 8). Decide which phrases
can be used for answering question ‘a’ and which phrases can be used to answer question ‘b’.
a) What do you like about the area where you live?
b) What things in your city/town do you like?
4. Now listen to Hanan and Kwan answering the questions.
Which phrases are used by Hanan and which phrases are used by Kwan? ( 1.2)
1. Another good thing is …
2. I enjoy …
3. I really dislike …
4. I really like …
5. … is something I don’t like.
6. I’m not very keen on …
7. I find … very enjoyable.
8. I find … unpleasant.
5. Listen again and complete the table below:
Name Likes Dislikes How changing?
the hot weather, …
Hanan
relaxing in the
Kwan
mountains, …
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6. Answer the following questions:
1) Do you work or are you a student?
2) Where do you come from?
3) Can you describe your town or city to me?
4) What do you like about the area where you live?
5) What things in your city or town don’t you like?
6) How is the area changing?
7) What do the people in your area do in their free time?
8) What do you think visitors to your city or town should visit or see? Why?
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Practice 2
2. Now listen to Hussein answering some Part 1 questions and tick the things he does in
Exercise 1 ( 1.3)
3. Listen again to Hussein answering the first question ( 1.4)
1) What does he say when he doesn’t understand the question?
2) What two mistakes does he make?
3) What word does he use when he corrects a mistake?
4. Listen again to Hussein answering the other questions and complete these sentences with
the words he uses. ( 1.5)
1. I started to play more with friends I made at school because …….……… things.
2. We went swimming and we played tennis and football because …….……….
3. We didn’t do sports at school, so …….……… time.
4. I think, perhaps, my chemistry teacher …….……… very clearly.
5. She made us do tests, I mean experiments, in the laboratories, …….………
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5. Answer the following questions:
1) Do you come from a large family or a small family?
2) As a child, who did you spend more time with: your family or your friends? Why?
3) When you were a child, how did you spend your weekends?
4) What did you enjoy most about school?
5) When you were at school, who did you think was your best teacher? Why?
Common Questions of Part 1
1. Speak about / Tell me about ...
§ your job / studies
§ your boss / teacher
§ favorite hobby / a bad habit
§ your home
§ last weekend / holiday
§ something you are proud of.
§ your favorite sport
§ favorite food
§ something you want to learn
§ a hard time in your life
§ something frightens you
§ a famous person you admire
§ a special place
§ a book /a movie you like
§ your plans for the future
§ a good restaurant or café you like
§ the most important invention in your opinion
§ something expensive you bought
§ the weather in your country
§ your taste in clothes / music
§ something in your life you want to change
§ a dream you had
§ a good idea you have
§ a story you read in the news
§ a problem you have
§ your neighbors
§ a good way to relax
§ what makes you laugh
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§ an opportunity you had but didn’t use well
§ someone you don’t like
§ a favorite website
§ what makes you angry
§ what will you do after the test
2. Do you think …
§ women are good drivers?
§ crime is a big problem?
§ it is important to learn English nowadays?
§ animals can speak / communicate?
§ the world is getting worse or better?
§ there is life on other planets?
§ Our planet is in danger?
§ smoking should be banned?
§ you are punctual?
§ you are active?
3. Do you like ...
§ your name?
§ pets?
§ reading / reading newspapers?
§ sports?
§ shopping?
§ zoos?
§ fast food?
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Part 2: Individual Long Turn (3-4 minutes)
The examiner will ask you to speak for 1-2 minutes on a topic which they will give you on a
card. The card will give you an outline of what you need to talk about. You will be given one
minute to prepare and make notes. The examiner will give you a piece of paper and a pen. They
will invite you to start speaking when your preparation time is up.
The examiner will not say anything while you are speaking but will stop you if you talk for more
than two minutes. Then you might be asked one or two short follow-up questions.
The topics are general in nature. You will be asked to describe things such as a restaurant you
enjoy eating in, a book you have read recently or something you cannot live without. You will
also be asked to relate what you are talking about, to yourself – e.g. ‘say why you choose to eat
in this restaurant’ or ‘say what you enjoyed about the book’.
EXAMPLE:
Describe a restaurant you enjoy eating in.
You should say:
where this restaurant is
what kind of menu it has
what other features it has
and explain why you choose to eat there.
Important Notes on Part 2
§ Read the topic card carefully. Jot down a few points/key words.
§ Use the preparation time wisely. Don’t waste time writing sentences.
§ Make sure you cover all parts of the topic card.
§ Organise your talk by following the order on the card.
§ Refer to your notes as you speak, developing each point you have.
§ Make sure you use examples from your own life. It’s much easier to talk more fluently about
your own experiences.
§ Try to expand your sentences using linking words like ‘however’ and ‘although’. Don’t use
words like ‘Moreover’ and ‘Thus’ which are normally used for writing.
§ Don’t hesitate for too long.
§ Don’t worry about the time. The examiner will stop you when time is up.
§ You will not be penalized for not concluding your talk.
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Practice 3
1. Read the task below and underline the key ideas. Decide what tenses you will need.
Describe a journey you made in the past that you
remember well.
You should say:
what forms of transport you used and why
who you travelled with
what was good and bad about it
and explain why you remember the trip so well.
2. Complete the notes below by writing words from the box.
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3. Which of the phrases below (a – h) from Kyung-Soon’s talk did she use to:
1) introduce the talk
2) introduce new points
3) finish the talk
4. Now, make a similar talk: introduce your talk, introduce new points and finish the talk.
5. Read the task below and take notes.
Describe a journey you made where you learned
something new.
You should say:
what happened in the journey
what forms of transport you used
how you felt
and explain what you learnt which was new.
6. Which of the phrases below (a – f) can you use to:
1) introduce the talk
2) introduce new points
3) finish the talk
7. Now, listen to a talk given by a candidate ( 2.1).
8. Give your talk about the above topic.
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Practice 4
1. Look at the task below and decide what device you find easiest to talk about for two
minutes.
Describe an electronic device you use often.
You should say:
how long you have had it
how often you have used it
what you have used it for
and explain why you use it so often.
2. You are going to hear a student, Amani, doing the Speaking task in Exercise 1. Before
you listen, match the beginnings and endings of these sentences.
3. Listen to Amani and check your answer ( 2.2).
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Part 3: Two-way Discussion (4-5 minutes)
In this part, the examiner will invite you to participate in a discussion of more abstract issues
related to the topic in Part 2. For example, if Part 2 was about a restaurant, you could be asked
to talk about people’s eating habits, diets, fast food or genetically modified food.
EXAMPLES:
Developments in education
- (describe) changes over the last ten years in your country
- (compare) your experience of education with that of your parents or grandparents
- (speculate) on likely changes in the next fifty years
A national education system
- (describe) your country’s aims for education
- (compare) expectations of today’s school-leavers with previous generations
- (evaluate) advantages/disadvantages of grouping learners by ability
Different styles/methods of teaching and learning
- (describe) teaching styles/methods for different age-groups in your country
- (suggest) your preferred method of learning
- (evaluate) advantages/disadvantages of grouping learners by ability
Important Notes on Part 3
§ The questions will increase in difficulty slightly as this part of the test progresses. The
examiner may begin by asking you to describe something and then move on to ask you to
compare, evaluate, guess or contemplate.
§ There is no wrong answer. Don’t be afraid to say what you think about a topic
§ You may be asked to relate the topic to your own country/culture.
§ You will be expected to be able to express your opinions and give reasons. Show your ability
to support your opinions.
§ Speak fluently and use a range of vocabulary and grammar.
§ Give extended responses. Don’t give one-word answers.
§ Try to repair any breakdowns in communication by getting around a word you can’t think of
or don’t know by using other words to express your meaning.
§ Give yourself time to think by using expressions like ‘I’ve not really thought about this before
but …’.
§ Remember that this part only lasts for four to five minutes. This means that the Examiner can
only really ask you some six to eight questions. So, don't panic!
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IELTS Preparation Course – Speaking Mohamed Mashal
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Practice 5
1. Look at the following Part 3 questions and Kim’s answer. What do you think about the
answer? Tick ( ü ) 3 of the boxes below.
2. Look at the answers on the following page and complete it using the ideas in the pictures
below.
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Well, some people use a (1) ____________ and others use
a (2) _____________. But I think if you’re really busy,
you’ll make a (3) _____________, maybe on your iPhone if
you have one. Or sometimes you see a note on the back of
someone’s (4) __________
3. Listen and compare the speaker’s answers with your own ( 3.1).
4. Listen to Anna Maria, an IELTS candidate, speaking and complete the answer below by
writing the things people forget in the gaps ( 3.2).
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Sample Test 1
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Sample Test 2
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Sample Test 3
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Sample Test 4
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